


Promised or Owed

by Hallsofpemberley



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Azula Redemption Arc, F/M, Kissing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Zutara, brief kataang scenes :(((, does not follow the comics because they are stupid, might change rating to explicit, more than kissing later on if you know you know, takes place five years after the show, zutara happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:54:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29258514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hallsofpemberley/pseuds/Hallsofpemberley
Summary: A week after Katara and Aang are engaged, she recieves news from Firelord Zuko. Azula has been acting strange as of late, and he worries she may have something dire in the works. It so happens the news is meant for Aang, but since he is gone, Katara decides to pay Zuko a visit herself. As Katara and Zuko begin to uncover Azula's plans, they expose more than they bargain for. Unsaid feelings, shameful secrets, rotten lies, and betrayal from the person Katara trusts most. The more Katara learns, the more she realizes she never really knew herself, or the people closest to her, at all.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 27





	1. The Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I just want everyone to know that I got the idea for this fanfic after I read this article on Avatar wiki https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Fanon:Wedding_of_Katara_and_Aang_(Energy_Saga)#:~:text=The%20wedding%20of%20Katara%20and,of%20the%20Hundred%20Year%20War. it is fanon not canon so I wanted to make sure I credited it. Also I follow everything that happened in the show for this story, but as far as the comics I just pick and choose what I like. So basically if I don't mention it in the fic, just pretend it never happened (you know, like we usually do, sorry if you like the comics, but they just aren't good :/). I apologize in advance for the Kataang in this chapter, but unfortunately it is necessary. Don't worry I will get rid of Aang as soon as possible.

Katara balled her fists, glared at the moon, and tried again. Ocean waves rose and fell around her thighs. Closing her eyes and breathing in the ocean, she timed her breath with the push and pull of the tide. Her body swayed back and forward with the rhythm of the gentle waves, then she began to bend. Katara’s eyes snapped open as her arms stretched out in slow, precise arcs and turns. In the light of the full moon, a ring formed on the surface of the sea, and from the ring hundreds delicate threads of water emerged.

Her movements were complex yet exact. Katara encouraged the water higher and ignored the sweat dripping down her brow. The thin threads lengthened and intertwined together like vines; they crossed and looped around each other in an intricate pattern. Even as the water wove together and rose above the ocean’s surface, she carefully kept each strand separate. In certain places she stretched them out or pulled them closely together to form shapes. Slowly a figure began to take form, like a creature materializing from the waves. Moonlight shone through the strands making them glow as if from within. Katara was almost there. She weaved and weaved, bit by bit the figure was almost recognizable like-

She raised her left hand a fraction too high and she felt one thread brush its neighbor. Too fragile to keep its shape, the figure fell back into the sea and soaked the front of her tunic, as it had countless times before. Her growl ripped through her throat at the same time her feet lashed out at the water. As if she could punish it for not cooperating. She shoved her palms into her eyes; she was starting to think she would never fully grow out of throwing temper tantrums. They always came out to snap at anyone or anything when something did not go her way. But she had been at this for a month now and she still-

Clapping and cheers erupted from the beach behind her. “That was beautiful Katara!” Aang shouted over the commotion, “You’ve almost got it. I love how determined you always are to accomplish everything you set your mind to.” Katara sighed through her nose, she’d had no idea they had been watching her. She dropped her hands from her face and turned. Standing on the sand was Aang and five of his Air Acolytes, well Acolytes and Acolytes in training. Grouped together as they were and wearing traditional Air Nomad robes, they looked like something out of a history book.

“It was fine,” she said shortly, but with a smile as she forced down her frustration with her failure. She trudged back towards the beach, pushing the water out of her clothes as she went. “How long have you guys been watching?”

Yee-Li beamed, “Just for a minute.”

“But long enough to see your super awesome master bending skills.” Jingbo waved his arms around, imitating her bending. “Swishie, wooshie, POW!”

Katara laughed and joined them on the sand. “Thanks, Jingbo.”

Aang grabbed her hand, “They just wanted to come and say their goodbyes, we just finished the lesson for tonight.” Katara and Aang had stopped to visit this group of Acolytes on their way back from another Avatar mission. The Acolytes were on Whaletail island traveling from the Southern Air Temple to the Western Temple as part of the training for the new Acolytes. Yee Li and Xing Ying, both from the first group ever of Acolytes, were hard at work teaching the customs and history of the Air Nomads. Aang taught whenever he could spare the time, as he was the only one who could offer a first hand perspective; Katara often came along as well, she shared her own experiences of the war whenever asked, which was all the time.

Xing Ying stepped forward and gave Katara a hug, “Thank you so much for taking the time to stop and visit with us. The stories you shared today were invaluable to my students.”

“Yes! Thank you so so much Katara.” Yee-Li threw their arms around Katara and Xing Ying and squeezed tight, “We owe you so much.”

“Oh there is no need to thank me.” Katara choked out, slightly strangled. “Aang is the one who does the teaching, I mostly watch.”

They both drew back, suddenly very serious. “But you keep him safe.” said Yee-Li.

“Who knows where our last airbender would be without you.” Xing Ying added.

“Probably in an iceberg.” Aang grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. Katara laughed, but the Acolytes looked distraught.

“Thank the Spirits that is not true. I cannot imagine what the world would be like if that were true.” Said one young student, she was so tiny that her robes had been rolled up around her ankles and wrists. Katara took a moment but remembered her name was Hai.

“It’s okay, Hai,” Katara reached over and took her hand, “that didn’t happen and I will always do everything in my power to protect him.”

“Wow,” Hai’s eyes glowed, “But you are so powerful.”

Katara winked and ruffled her hair, “Exactly. No one gets past me.”

“Okay we better get going,” Aang started to pull Katara up the hill to where Appa was most likely napping. “We still need to fly to the Southern Water Tribe tonight.”

“Do you need assistance?” Jingbo asked eagerly. “No, we got it. Thanks Jingbo.” said Aang, still going up the hill.

This led to a chorus of ‘goodbyes’, ‘thank yous’, and ‘safe journeys’. As Aang pulled her up the hill, Katara made assurances that they had everything they needed for safe and comfortable travel, then shouted advice about drinking lots of fresh water until they were out of hearing range.

“Sorry the lesson took longer than I thought it would.” apologised Aang with a kiss on her cheek.

She shook her head, “It’s okay, it gave me time to work on that bending sequence.” Katara had slipped away while Aang talked to the students about the thirty-six levels of airbending, which Katara had heard about a million times before; at this point she could be an honorary Air Acolyte herself. “Besides, teaching them is one of the most important things you could do and we aren’t in much of a hurry anyways.” Aang laughed loudly, then broke off just as quickly. He looked off to the side, like he did when he was trying to hide something.

“Are you okay?” Asked Katara.

“Uh huh.” said Aang with a firm nod.

“Are you sure?” asked Katara again.

He waved his hand nonchalantly, “Yeeah I’m good. Do you need some help with the sequence? Maybe if I try it myself then we could do it together. Or-” “That’s okay,” she said, cutting him off; she doesn’t feel like explaining that she wants to figure it out herself. Master Pakku gave her an ancient water bending scroll a few weeks before. It described a sequence where one used many thin threads of water and entwined them together, without letting them touch, to create a sculpture of sorts. The scroll said that because the sequence was so complex, the bender could not actively manipulate the water to make a shape of their choice. A bender had to allow their own subconscious to take control and whatever shape took form was, according to the scroll, the shape the bender knew best. What shape that could be, the scroll did not say, it only said that the sequence could only be completed by a bender as reliable as the tides. Naturally Katara was fascinated, but she still had not made a fully formed figure.

Ahead Appa was, as predicted, in a deep doze. Aang and Katara awoke him softly and prepared for the trip home. Katara turned to Aang, “Do the Acolytes have enough supplies for their journey? Do they need anything? Did you ask?”

“Katara, you already asked them yourself. You know they have enough supplies to last twice as long as they need to make the journey.” Aang grabbed her hand and air bent them to the top of Appa’s head. They sat together at the reins.

“I know, I just worry about them. Some of them are so young, you know! Jingbo and Hai are only twelve.” Katara shook her head.

“We were young, Katara. I was only twelve. And look at us now, we made it.”

Katara bit her tongue to keep from pointing out how much looking after he had needed, and instead said, “You’re right, we did make it. I love you.”

Aang beamed, “I love you too.”

And with a kiss they were off, flying so high in the air it felt like they were going to fly into the moon. The ocean spread out under them and in the distance they could see a couple of the nearby Air Nomad islands. A comfortable silence stretched out between them, the kind of silence they came with spending so much time with someone it felt like you knew their every thought. So Katara’s mind wandered. She wondered if the night would still be young enough by the time they made it back to the Southern Water Tribe, where her and Aang lived for most of the year. She could still have some time to figure out the difficult bending sequence. She didn’t have to do it at night, but she hoped the moon would help her complete it.

Wind rushed against her face and blew her hair back so it billowed behind her like a flag. She leaned forward to watch the full moon’s reflection against the waves. She thought back, trying to remember if she had ever been on Whaletail Island on her many travels. She could have sworn she had been, but could not remember when it was. She remembered they had once thought Appa might have been there during that time he was lost, but they never ended up going. Now that she thought about it, more she could have sworn she had come here before. The past blurred together. Below them on the water a lone ship sailed by. Suddenly it hit her.

Zuko.

That's right! Zuko had taken her here, to a Fire Nation ship sailing off the coast of Whaletail Island. How had she not realized? Five years had passed and she remembered that day perfectly. Afterwards it had been painful to think about their hunt to find the man who murdered her mother. To this day the memories of that journey wounded her heart, and she was sure they always would; however, with the distance of five years she remembered something else about that trip just as vividly. She remembered the boy who did not falter, the eyes that met hers unwaveringly, who knew exactly what she needed, and did everything to support her through one of the most harrowing moments of her life. No, she would never forget what he did for her as long as she lived. She touched her mother’s necklace. She missed him. She missed her friend.

“Have you talked to Zuko?”

“Sweetie, can I tell-”

They had both spoken at the same time. “Zuko? Why are you thinking about Zuko right now?” asked Aang.

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I just am. So have you?”

“Have I what?” Aang asked, confused.

“Have you talked to Zuko?” She pressed.

“Uh, no? You know the last time we saw him was three months ago at the ambassador summit in Omashu.” Aang ran a hand over his head, he looked oddly uncomfortable.

“That was not the last time we saw him.” Katara said.

“Um, it wasn’t?”

“We saw him a month later when we stopped by the Fire Nation to speak to him and his council about fire bending gangs in the Earth Kingdom.” Now Katara was confused, how could he not remember that. Why was he acting like this? It was a simple question.

“Oh yeah, I guess you’re right. Well, I assume he is doing alright, I haven’t heard differently.” Aang replied, his eyes roamed the horizon.

“Don’t you both write to each other weekly?” Katara asks, now getting annoyed at the lack of information.

“Yeah, we do.” Aang still looked anywhere but her face, like he was searching for a way out of the conversation.

Katara was not going to let this go, “Well what do you talk about?”

Aang slouches and rubs his neck, “We mostly give each other updates about Avatar and Firelord stuff, and at the end sometimes we’ll talk about more personal stuff. Like I’ll tell him about you and Sokka,” he makes eye contact with her briefly, “and he’ll tell me about-oh.” Aang cuts himself off.

“‘Oh’ what?” Katara grabbed at her tunic with her fists and tried not to sound as annoyed as she was.

“Well there is one thing that I know about how he’s doing.” Aang said reluctantly.

“So? What is it?” Katara asked eagerly.

“It is not really good news.” Aang said.

“What? Why? What happened? Is he alright?” Katara’s heart thudded.

“In his last letter he said that he had broken up with Mai, and that they are going to officially announce it this week. He said he wanted to tell me first, before the announcement, but that this was something that has been in the works for a while.” Katara fell back on her hands. She was shocked. Aang, Sokka, Toph, and her had all had dinner with them when they were last together in Omashu and they had seemed so happy. Even when she and Aang had visited their home a month ago, she had not sensed anything out of the ordinary. Katara had thought they were happy. She had thought Zuko was happy and was horrified to know that he wasn’t.

“I didn’t know.” Katara almost whispered.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you.” Aang looked somewhat panicked at her reaction. “But he said that this was something he has known about for a while, so he has probably already worked through a lot of his emotions about the whole thing.” He said in an obvious attempt to make her feel better. It didn’t help.

“But that’s worse! He has been going through this for who knows how long and I had no idea. He is one of my dearest friends. I should’ve checked up on him. I am going to write him a letter right when we get home and see if he needs anything.” Katara grabbed a chunk of her hair and began to stroke it with both her hands. She reminded herself that Zuko wasn’t all alone in that giant palace. Zuko has Iroh who always knows exactly the best way to comfort him, even if he thinks he doesn’t want it. Toph and Ty Lee visit as well, and Katara was sure he had plenty of people in the Fire Nation to help him.

“That’s a good idea, Sweetie. You should do that. I apologize, I didn’t realize how much you wanted to know that sort of thing. Next time I will let you know right away.” Aang said, still doing his best to comfort her.

“I think I’ll see if I can plan a trip to see him.” Katara looked up at Aang, who smiled weakly. “We can’t go too often you know. I don’t think we go often enough.”

“Right! That is a great idea; we all get so busy I think we forget to make an effort to make social calls.” Aang nodded quickly.

“Well we need to start.” Katara folded her arms, all of a sudden very cold.

Aang notices and air bends her coat to her and drapes it over her shoulders. Katara shoves her arms into the coat with a muffled ‘thank you’. In her mind she was already miles away, sitting at her desk in her room, writing her letter to Zuko. How could she have let their connection get so lax? It was true what Aang had said; they were all very busy, nations of people everyday demanding their attention from all over the world. But that was no excuse. He had once almost died to save her, the least she could do was stay in touch. She wondered what he was doing right now. Most people would be in bed by this time in the Fire Nation, but she knew Zuko liked to take a few hours before bed to work in silence. He once told her that it was the only time of his day that people weren’t demanding his attention. Zuko even admitted to her, in a whisper so no one else could hear, that he missed the days he spent with the group before the comet; even though they had had the weight of the world on their shoulders at least he had spent his days with people he actually liked.

“Katara?”

She straightened up. Based on the look on Aang’s face this was not the first time he had tried to get her attention. “Did you say something?”

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Aang said after a long silence.

“What is it?” Katara watched as Aang turned so his body was facing hers, Appa’s reins lay forgotten beside him.

“Now that midnight has passed, today is officially the anniversary of the first day we met.” Katara gasped, but Aang kept going, “Six years ago, today, the force of your rage at Sokka awoke me and Appa from our hundred year sleep. Little did we know then that we would go on to have a million adventures together, go through the best and worst days of our lives together, and, most importantly, we didn’t know that we had found our forever family.”

Tears welled in Katara’s eyes, “Aang I didn’t realize-”

“That’s okay Katara. I just wanted to say that,” Aang rose so that he was kneeling in front of her, he pulled something from his pocket, “I love you so much, more than I ever knew it was possible to love somebody. I opened my eyes that day to a new, scary world, but the moment I saw you knew I would be okay. You are the one that I love, and maybe I somehow knew before the iceberg that I could not, no, would not live without you. You have saved me in a million ways and I hope that I never have to learn what it is to live without you.” He opened palm to reveal a betrothal necklace, similar to her mother’s that she had always worn around her neck. Katara was completely surprised and began to cry in earnest, all that time, all they sacrificed, rushing through her all at once. This was what it all led to. This was what she fought for, dreamed of, and desired for as long as she could remember; the weight of it all was so heavy. Katara’s happy ending had finally arrived.

“Katara, sweetie, will you make me the happiest person in the world and be my wife?” Tears were streaming down Aang’s face.

_This is it_ , Katara said to herself, _this is right_. “Yes! Yes I will be your wife. I love you.” Katara sobbed. Her arms threw themselves around his neck without a thought, and their lips met with all they had gone through together pressed between them. Soon they were laughing, delighting in the moment they had waited five long years for. Katara’s hands shook as she removed her mother’s necklace, she wished she had known that today was the last day she would wear it, and nestled it safely in her pocket. Aang placed her new necklace around her neck and she was bewildered at the feeling. Clearly, this necklace had never been worn, so it was stiff and felt quite strange resting in the place her mother’s had been. But it didn’t matter. She would get used to it.

Aang put his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against him. They were content in this new silence and basked in the light of their new future, silhouetted against the moon.

At home, her family was waiting for them. More than just her family, in fact. As Appa flew close enough, she saw what seemed like half the city was there to welcome Katara and Aang home. Katara looked at Aang, her eyebrows raised, “It looks like I was the last to know about our engagement.”

Aang chuckled nervously, “Well I told your Dad and Sokka that I was going to ask you, then Sokka told everyone else. Is that okay?”

Katara kissed him on the cheek, “It’s perfect! I just didn’t expect it.” She reassured him. Aang beamed once again and guided Appa towards the ground. Capital City, her old village, had grown to be completely unrecognizable in the five years since the war. After Zuko’s coronation her father returned to home to assist Master Pakku and his fellow Northern Water Tribe benders in reconstructing the South; Katara and Sokka followed soon after going between the reconstruction in the South and helping Aang foster peace after the war. Hakoda was promptly elected Head Chieftain of the South and rebuilding began in earnest. What had been a small group of tents and igloos, was now a fully functioning city. There was a sea port and a large ice wall surrounding the city, with watchtowers situated at certain intervals throughout. Inside the walls, buildings made of lumber, stone, and ice lined distinct streets. There were homes where her people were able to live in safety, shops where they could buy fish, animal skins, fur lined boots, and, her favorite, sea prune cookies. At the city’s center was the Southern Water Tribe’s Royal Palace, which is where their government resided. That was where the Chief and the Council did their business. It was also where Katara and Aang lived with her family.

On the ground the large group backed away to make room for Appa’s landing. As soon as the bison touched the ground Katara was, rather roughly, pulled down and into her brother’s impatient arms.

“My sister is getting married to the Avatar!” Sokka screamed loudly into her ear.

“Stop it, Sokka. Let go and give her some space. She hasn’t even told us if she said yes.” Suki prided Sokka off her and shoved him away. She gave Katara a kind smile, but was clearly just as impatient to hear the news.

“Of course she said yes! Why wouldn’t she? As horrifying as it is, they’re soulmates and they’ve been together forever and never spend a day apart from each other.” Sokka gesticulated wildly in Aang, who had hopped down from Appa, and Katara’s direction. “She obviously said yes! Lets celebrate!” The last part he said to the crowd, which began to shout for joy.

“We spend some days apart.” Katara said. She had been excited to see her family, but for some reason what Sokka had said set her heart racing. Now she felt like running to her bedroom and hiding under the covers. Behind Sokka, Pakku and Hakoda were telling the crowd to settle down.

“Yeah,” said Suki, she folded arms in her signature ‘scolding Sokka’ stance, “and we’ve been together longer than they have, are you so sure I would say yes if you asked me?” Sokka paled and stood frozen with his mouth open for a good five seconds before Hakoda felt the need to step in.

He squeezed Sokka’s shoulder, “She’s right son,” Hakoda looked at his daughter, his eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled, “Go ahead, Katara.”

Katara looked at Aang and took his hand. He nodded letting her be the one to share the news. Her father, Sokka, Suki, Gran Gran, and Pakku waited on her answer. Behind them well wishers and friends, her people, silenced each other so they could hear the answer from their favorite daughter. Katara knew that they would be ecstatic at the news. Once she the words left her mouth there would be no going back, not that she would want to. This is what everyone expected and waited for. To her people, this would represent more than the Head Chief’s daughter getting married. This was their Katara, the last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe, who protected the Avatar and went out and fought for peace and won. Their Katara who ended the war and was there for every step of the rebuilding of their civilization and culture. She helped heal them. To them this union would be a representation of a future of peace and prosperity and that their dark and painful past was finally behind them. Katara would never disappoint them.

“I said yes.” Katara said with a smile.

“SHE SAID YES!” Aang yelled, unable to hold it in for a second longer.

“YEEEEEEEEESSS!” Sokka screamed again.

Suki laughed and Hakoda cried. The people around them cheered, whooping and dancing with each other at the news. Her family came forward and enveloped her and Aang in a hug. As she accepted more hugs and tearful congratulations, she couldn’t help but think that there would be no bending practice tonight.

Later that night, she got out of bed, careful not to wake Aang who was asleep beside her. The celebration had been so long it was almost dawn, but she couldn’t sleep without doing one more thing. At her desk she wrote her letter to Firelord Zuko.

_To His Royal Fireyness, Firelord Zuko,_

_I write to you today because I miss you. Have you realized it has been two months since we last saw each other? I want to change that. I know you must be busy with your very important Firelord duties, but I hope you can make time for an old friend. Maybe I can invite the others and we can have dinner. I do believe that it is your turn to host anyways. I heard about you and Mai. I’m so sorry, let me know if you need anything. Please know that you can talk to me about anything. I’ll always be there for you (even when I’m hundreds of miles away)._

_Everything is normal here in the South, as close to normal as it can be anyways. Sokka recently convinced Mika, a water bender from the North, to add a slide to the palace that went from his room, down the outside of the building, and to the kitchens. He had already asked me and I told him no, of course. He enjoyed it for all of a day until Pakku heard of it. Pakku removed it immediately and said Sokka was a disgrace to Chief Hakoda, the Water Tribe, and the world, as well as a stain on our history. He also said he wished Sokka could be more like me (don’t we all?) and when Sokka asked what was so wrong about what he did Pakku said, “Slides are for imbecilic children, not palaces”. The last I heard Sokka was trying to find a water bender to add a slide to Pakku and Gran Gran’s home. I might just help him this time._

_Suki is here too, for another few weeks then back to she goes back to Kyoshi. She is wonderful as always and does way more work than she should. When she wears our tribal clothes you would never guess she is from the Earth Kingdom. I think there are a few people around here who have forgotten altogether. My father is hard at work, although I’m sure you know that. And I help wherever I can. What else? Aang and I just got back from the trading conflicts in the Earth Kingdom, so I don’t know much._

_I do know that the children at the orphanage are flourishing and happy. Before I left I made sure your latest donations went towards a new batch of clothes for the winter; you should’ve seen the children’s smiles. I will describe them to you in great detail when we next see each other. The youngest, little Minora, just started school this year and has worn her coat everyday so she looks her best. I’ve been told that laundry day is very traumatic for her, because she apparently never takes it off, even when she sleeps. I plan on visiting them tomorrow as soon as I get the chance._

_Anyways, you talk with Aang so I suppose I don’t need to tell you about him. And am I right in guessing Aang already told you our happy news? If not I’ll tell you now: Aang and I are engaged! He asked me a few hours ago just off the coast of Whaletail Island as we flew home on Appa. We are overjoyed and very excited. You are invited to the wedding, obviously, and everyone over there in the Fire Nation is welcome, within reason. We plan for a lot of guests as you can imagine._

_Aang also told me that today is the anniversary of the day I found him in the iceberg. Six years. Can you believe that? I didn’t even realize. Time goes by fast when you're not fighting a war. That means this is also our anniversary of our first meeting. Remember that happy occasion? I’ll never forget how you landed on your face after Aang rammed into you on the back of a penguin. Good times._

_Let me know about when we can see each other. I miss you, my friend._

_Happy anniversary and with lots of love,_

_Katara_


	2. Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Please enjoy and let me know what you think! Also I changed the work title from Herself-Unseeing to Promised or Owed... :)

Katara rolled over, only half asleep. Her dream had been so pleasant, but she could feel consciousness invading. Still she chased that feeling from her dream; she’d felt so secure, like she was being held—like she was home. Unfortunately, the sun shined directly into her eyes, prodding them open. She squinted at her window, but didn’t turn away. From the height of the sun she knew it was late morning, much later than she usually slept in. She knew if she looked through her Palace window, she would be able to see people milling about in the square below, already well into their day. Katara couldn’t be surprised she slept in so long, it had been early morning when they’d finally got to bed, thanks to the excitement surrounding their engagement.

She shot up and looked at the bed beside her. It was empty. Aang must’ve woken up before her. Her hand strayed to the necklace, not her mother’s, but her own betrothal necklace. For a brief moment, she had entirely forgotten the huge change to her life from the night before. Whipping off her bed furs, she swung her legs out of bed and half ran to the full length mirror on her wall. She saw that she wore the plain nightgown she had thrown on and her hair was a mess. Stepping closer, she inspected the necklace, which she hadn’t thought to do the night before. The ribbon was lighter than the one on her necklace, more of a sky blue than an ocean blue. The pendant was made from the same jewel that all betrothal necklaces used, with the Air Nomad symbol carved there instead of the Water Tribe’s. A perfect representation of their union: two people, two nations.

Katara pulled the ribbon away from her skin. It felt tight and slightly coarse, but that could be because it had never been worn. Her necklace had been worn by three generations of women in her family, she would have to wear this one for many years to get it anywhere near as comfortable to wear. Her stomach turned, spirits knew she would certainly get the chance. Lightly, she rested her fingers on it. It felt… different. Sighing, she rested her head on the cool glass of the mirror. They had not discussed a betrothal necklace at all; if they had, Katara would have told him that she preferred her old one. It's more of a Northern Water Tribe tradition anyways. She hadn’t even known about betrothal necklaces until she’d visited the North herself. In the South, they generally just popped the question and called it a day.

Katara and Aang were engaged. To be married. Husband and Wife. For life. Somehow it didn’t feel real. They had talked about marriage before, of course. For years they had discussed where they might live, how many kids they would have, what they would name them, and so many things. And she knew that as time passed those conversations had become more frequent, but now that she was here, well, she hadn’t thought the future would arrive so soon. She supposed that she thought she had more time— more time before forever. Her breath brushed against her face, as her head still rested against the mirror. When her eyes opened, the glass was completely fogged up so that her face was indiscernible. 

Stumbling back a few steps, she tried to understand what she was feeling. She felt a bit shocked, but how could she be when they both knew they would get married someday? Did everyone feel this way the day after they got engaged? Like the question they answered had been bigger than they had realized? Did Aang feel like this? Katara sat back down on the bed and put her head between her knees. Took deep breaths. She had been happy yesterday. Was she still happy? Yes. She loved Aang and she had wanted this for so long. So why did she feel like she was… missing something?

_ No _ , she told herself,  _ I’m good.  _ It’s natural to feel a little stressed. This was just a big change that happened sooner than she had expected. That was all, and she was going to be fine. Plus she was hungry. That was it.

Still it was a few more minutes until her breathing went back to normal. She threw herself back on the bed. This was ridiculous. What was she worrying about? This was her and Aang. If they could get through a war and guide the entire world into a new era of peace, they could handle getting married. Nothing would change between them anyways. They would just be tied to each other forever, like they both wanted. Last night they had even decided they wouldn’t move away, at least for the first year. The only thing that was changing was the labels they called each other. Easy.

Now, the first thing she would do was find a safe spot for her mother’s necklace. She sat up, and looked for her coat which had her necklace in the pocket. Both her and Aang’s clothes were scattered across the floor. She walked over and picked up her coat where she had thrown it near the door, and dug her necklace out. Quickly, she grabbed the rest of the clothes and threw them into a basket that either her or Aang would take down to the laundry later. Aang had his own bedroom across the hall, but he slept in her room most nights. Turning away from the basket, she scanned the room for the best spot for her necklace. 

In true Southern Tribe fashion, her room, as well as most the bedrooms in the Palace, was simple and functional. There was the usual amenities: she had a large comfortable bed covered in thick furs; a massive wooden wardrobe where she kept her clothes, Aang kept his in his room; her desk sat in front of her window, where she made important correspondence with world leaders as Ambassador; through a door in the corner of the room she had her own bathroom; she even had cushions and a small table where any guests could visit in comfort. 

In the front of the room, so it was the first thing people saw when they entered, she had shelves where she kept important momentos from over the years. She had many water bending scrolls, in a place of honor was the scroll she stole from those pirates, an Earth Kingdom hair piece from Ba Sing Se, a Painted Lady statuette made personally for her, a copy of a treaty naming her as one of the organizers of the new coalition governments that replaced the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom, and a whole shelf dedicated to trinkets made for her by children from the orphanage. But her mother’s necklace didn’t really belong with her random memorabilia, so she settled on putting it on her nightstand.

Now it was time for her to prepare for the day. Since she still smelled like salt water and Appa, she bathed first. Afterwards, she dried off and put her long hair in two loose braids, making sure to pin the front strands of her hair up in her signature loops. In her closet her hand hovered over a dark blue tunic she liked, but opted instead for a light blue one that was reminiscent of the ones she used to wear all the time. Plus it matched the necklace.

Finally, she left the room. In the hall were doors that led to Aang’s and Sokka and Suki’s bedrooms, as well as two guest rooms. Her father used to have a room in this hall too, but when both her and Sokka turned eighteen he moved into the rooms connected to the Head Chieftain’s office. He had said that now that his children were both officially adults, they needed to create their own spaces. So Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Suki when she was here, had these rooms of the Palace to themselves. Each Chief and Council member had an apartment in the palace where they could stay with their family whenever they were in the city. Katara’s family lived here all year long, but the Council of Chieftains and Elders was only in session for a few months a year and they lived all across the tribe.

Walking down the hall led to an open space where they spent the most of their time when they were here. There was the living area where they had cushions, chairs, and furs where they lounged after a long day, or entertained guests. Behind it was a dining table where they had meals whenever they could get away with not being invited to eat somewhere else. Through a door next to the table was a small kitchen where they made their own food when they could. 

Though there were still many days they got so busy that cooks down in the main kitchen popped up and made meals for them. Sokka was always stealing food from them anyways, so it really made little difference to them. Another door led to a training room where Sokka and Suki kept an ever growing weapon collection, as well as tons of earth, water, and large windows where her and Aang practiced bending. Through a third door was Appa’s room. Inside there was a giant ice door that Katara and Aang used to get Appa in and out, as well as a ton of hay.

Sokka, Suki, and Aang were at the table already. They had also prepared food and had it set out in front of them on the table; much more food than they could eat on their own.

“Are we expecting people?” Katara asked as she took a seat beside Aang on a cushion. He gave her a kiss. She pulled back and looked him in the eye. She searched for any sign that he may have felt the confusion that she had this morning, but he seemed more enthused at her presence than usual.

“Good morning, my beautiful fiancé.” Aang greeted.

“Good morning, my handsome fiancé.” Katara greeted back.

“Blah, gross.” Sokka said as he dished what looked like at least a second helping onto his plate.

“Really Sokka? It’s been years, why don’t you get over yourself?” Katara lashed out immediately. This was an argument they’d had hundreds of times over. “You and Suki kiss in front of us all the time and we never say anything about it. Can’t you just be happy for us?”

“I am happy for you guys!” said Sokka defensively, he pointed a fork at them, “The thing is, you’re both so happy and in love it’s like getting punched in the face by a really, really big, uh, bunny, yeah a really big baby bunny covered in honey. It makes me sick-”

Suki interrupted him with a kiss. Sokka grumbled and returned to shoveling food into his face.

“To answer your question: yes, we are expecting people and they will be here any minute.” said Suki.

“Who?” Beside her Aang gave her a plate fully loaded with food. “Oh, thanks Aang, I could’ve gotten that myself.”

“It’s no problem.” said Aang as he began to serve himself food onto his own clean plate. Evidently, he had waited until she got here to eat. “Hakoda is coming with Gran Gran and Malina to help plan the wedding.”

“Oh,” Katara felt her heartbeat pick up, it must be the excitement, “I didn’t realize we would start so soon, it’s been less than a day.” She picked at her food, suddenly not very hungry.

“Hakoda said it’s going to be the biggest wedding of the century and that all the world leaders will need to be invited,” Aang took bites of food in between his words, “and it’s going to be planned in the traditional Southern Water Tribe style. When I was talking to him and Malina last night, it sorta sounded like they had already started planning a few things.”

“Oh, um, wow.”  _ Stop saying ‘oh’ _ , she told herself. “Yeah there’s not a moment to waste then.” Katara twisted the noodles on her plate around and around.

“Of course if you wanted to hold off on planning, I’m sure they would listen in a heartbeat.” said Suki. Katara looked up, Suki was smiling at her, but also looked a bit concerned.

“Yeah, it doesn’t need to be all on you either.” Sokka said with food in his mouth. “None of us know anything about wedding planning, but we’ll all do our part.”

“Of course!” Aang agreed. “And you don’t need to do anything you don’t want to.”

Katara grinned at them all, “Thank you guys, and don’t worry,” she looked Suki in the eye, “this is what I’ve wanted for a long time. I’m ready for this.” She glared at Sokka, who had turned back to his food and was chewing obnoxiously, “Don’t eat with your mouth full Sokka, it’s revolting.”

Sokka mocked her, “ _ It’s revolting _ .” Beside him Suki nodded at her, her concern slowly melting from her face. Aang laced his fingers with Katara’s.

Moments later, the door that led to their apartment burst open; Hakoda, Gran Gran, and Malina said their hellos. Malina was one of the first water benders to come from the North. She had been integral in helping them revive the South and now, five years on, was Hakoda’s right hand. She was the one who kept track of every little thing that was going on with the tribe, in charge of their finances, and the only reason Hakoda arrived anywhere on time. He was a wonderful Chief, but had a habit of talking too long about, well, nothing important. It just so happened that sometime during those five years, Malina and Hakoda hit it off and were now romantic partners, as well as professional ones. Katara and Sokka got along with her well; she cared about them and made their father happy, but never tried to take their mother’s place. It worked well.

The first thing Hakoda did was give Katara and Aang a hug, “I’m so proud of you guys.”

“I know, Dad. You told us yesterday.” groused Katara, she leaned into the hug all the same.

“Thank you, Hakoda.” said Aang, muffed by his shirt.

Hakoda pulled away and looked down at them, hands on both their shoulders. “Before we start talking about the wedding, I want to say that everyday you remind me more of your mother, Katara. Just like her, your wisdom and strength far supasses my own and I am forever your student. There is also a spirit within you that is entirely your own that is unwavering and always finds the right path for you and the people you love.” He turned to Aang, “And in you, I see myself, ready to begin this new chapter, marrying the love of my life. Little did I know that it would be so much better, yet so much harder than anything I could imagine. But in the years I’ve had to get to know you, I trust that you are up to the challenge and I know that everyday you will do everything in your power to be deserving of my daughter.”

“Yes, sir. I swear I will.” said Aang solemnly.

“You better.” Gran Gran and Sokka said at the same time.

“Haha! Nice one, Gran Gran.” Sokka said in delight.

Katara was touched, and hearing her father say that made everything feel so real that she couldn’t speak. So instead she laid a hand on his. He smiled at her and understood.

Gran Gran and Malina each gave them hugs of their own. Gran Gran gave her loving rubs on her back and Malina squeezed her tight, her short hair pressing against her face and making Katara’s nose twitch. It was nice to feel her family’s love and support.

“Sorry Pakku couldn’t be here,” Gran Gran said. “He is already down at the school, but he told me to tell you he is prepared to serve in any way he can.”

“Wonderful.” said Malina.

Wedding talk started immediately. The venue would be here at the palace of course, as it was the only place in the entire tribe that could hold the extensive guest list. The food would all be Southern Water Tribe cuisine, Aang asked if there could be a fruit option on the menu, but he was quickly shot down due to that not working with the climate. They would have to send people on days long hunting and fishing expeditions just to be able to feed everyone that would be there. Invitations would have to go out right away, which means they needed a date.

Hakoda raised his hand, “I was thinking three weeks after the winter solstice might work well. That would give us plenty of time to get ready, as well as give our guests enough time to plan. Plus, that should give the community enough time to recover from the solstice celebration, it’s during southern summer so the weather will be good, and it’ll be at the beginning of the new year.” Hakoda turned to her and Aang, “What do you think about that?”

Katara did the math in her head, that’s about three months from now. She looked at Aang, he shrugged, “What do you think?” He asked her.

Katara stalled, “Do we have any events we need to go to around that time?” she asked the group.

Across from her, Malina flipped through some papers. “According to my notes, there are no events, holidays, or obligations that would interfere with that date. Which also means our guests shouldn’t have to move too many things around to be able to attend either.”

“And is three months enough time to be ready?” Aang asked her.

Malina nodded decisively, “ Yes.”

“Are you sure?” asked Katara. “Aren’t engagements usually really long? Especially for people like us? I mean three months just does not seem like enough time.”

“Well last night you guys said that you wanted to get married as soon as possible,” said Hakoda carefully, “We can do three months if that is what you want. But we can delay too, if you both need more time, it's your wedding, so whatever you say goes.”

Everyone looked at Katara. Personally, she didn’t remember saying ‘as soon as possible’, but Aang did and she never disputed it. Aang was looking at her and she already knew what he would say.  _ Whatever you need Katara. Three months or three years is nothing to the hundred I waited for you. _ She also knew he would marry her this second if he could. His never ending dedication and positivity was something she knew so well and admired so much; she wished she could be like that.

Katara sighed. How much of a difference would more time make anyway? “Three months works for me if it works for you.” She said to Aang.

His eyes glowed and a light breeze flew through the room, “Then it works for me too. I suppose the only problem I have with it is that it’s not soon enough.” Everybody laughed.

“We should discuss the matter of what is expected from a traditional Water Tribe engagement.” Gran Gran said.

“Oh, right.” Katara had forgotten about this part.

“What? What is expected?” Aang was confused.

Gran Gran reached over and squeezed Katara’s hand, “Why don’t you explain it to him, dear.”

Katara turned to Aang, “When two people in the Water Tribe are engaged, it's expected that they minimize contact between each other as much as possible. It is seen as bad luck when the couple do not take this time for individual reflection, as this will be the last time in your life that you will be alone. When a man and a woman are getting married, the man will usually leave home on an expedition until the time of the wedding, while the woman stays and prepares the wedding and their new home.”

“Oh I didn’t know that.” Aang looked down at their hands and gave hers a squeeze.

Hakoda speaks up, “And because she is my daughter and she is marrying someone from outside the Water Tribe, even if it is the Avatar, this tradition will be especially important to keep. The tribe likes to see a special effort made by the person from outside the tribe to respect and live with our customs.”

“So we cannot see each other at all?” Aang asked, looking more miserable by the second.

The adults all looked at each other. Gran Gran answers, “No, you can see each other, but those meetings must be kept to a bare minimum and must always be chaperoned by someone from one of the families. So in this case that would be me, Pakku, Hakoda, or Sokka.”

“It’s okay, I got you little sister.” Sokka thumped his chest twice.

“Thanks, you’re my hero.” Katara replied flatly.

“I guess I can stay with the acolytes for a few months, meditate, go on some spirit world journeys.” said Aang.

“Haven’t you said that you want to learn more about energybending in case you have to use it again?” asked Sokka.

Aang rubbed his neck, “Uh, yeah, I have said that.”

“So why don’t you do that? This is the perfect opportunity now that you need to find something to keep you busy for three months. I can go with you as your guide and protector.” Sokka offered, “It’d be like a guy trip. A three month bachelor party! Just like old times.”

“Just like old times huh?” said Katara.

“Yeah!” Sokka said, “Just with Suki instead of you.” Sokka threw an arm over Suki’s shoulders, “Sorry, Katara, you’re about to miss out on the trip of a lifetime.”

“Yeah, thanks but I think I’ve already had a few of those.” She said dismissively. She folded her arms. Secretly, she was already a bit envious; she’d love to go on another trip with them. It was slowly dawning on her that she was probably going to get stuck with preparing the wedding, while they got to have new adventures without her.

“How could it be a guy's trip, bachelor party if you bring me?” asked Suki.

“Uh, well, you’d be an add-on I guess.” said Sokka.

Suki pouted, “Sounds riveting, but you know I can’t come anyways. I have to go back to Kyoshi in a few weeks; they need help training new recruits.”

Now Sokka was pouting, “So what will you do?”

“I’ll stay here, with Katara. I can keep her company with whatever she chooses to do.” Suki looked at her, “What do you think?” she asked.

Katara was already nodding before she asked, “If you want to, yes. Yes, I would like that very much.”

Suki smiled, “Of course.”

Malina spoke up, “I know that planning the wedding might be the last thing you want to do; not to mention the tradition of the man going off on a fun adventure while the woman stays home is quite misogynistic. But as you are the Ambassador of the tribe, you know more than anyone else about our international guests, and your assistance planning this huge multicultural event would be priceless.”

Although that may be true, the thought of how much work it’ll be and how much fuss will be made over it was something Katara did not look forward to. But someone had to do it, and while she thought Malina was perfectly capable of getting it done, Katara wasn’t about to dump her wedding on someone else. Even though she didn't have the first clue about any of it.

Katara made eye contact with Suki, “What do you think? Do you mind staying here and helping me plan?”

Suki grinned, “I’ll keep the admirers off your back and carrying your bags.”

“Perfect.” said Katara.

“So it’s decided. Katara and Suki will stay here and I’ll help them with the wedding,” Malina made some notes on the paper in front of her, then continued. “Aang and Sokka will go on a… guy’s trip, bachelor party, Energybending learning quest.” Malina finished slowly then looked at the boys for confirmation.

“Sounds right to me.” said Aang.

“Where will you go?” Katara asked.

Aang shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe we can start at the Southern Air Temple and see if there are any ancient scrolls that could help us.”

“Oh yeah, ancient scrolls, here we come.” Sokka emphasized the last three words with fist pumps into the air.

“Well the sooner you leave the better.” Malina said bluntly, “Do you think you could be ready to leave by tomorrow morning?”

“Tomorrow morning?” Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Suki said together.

“It is tradition, my dears.” Gran Gran said. “With this marriage Aang is officially joining our tribe. It will be very important to the people to see him practicing our customs as if he’s already a part of it.” 

Hakoda nodded in agreement, “It’s for the best.” He said sympathetically.

“Okay,” said Aang, “Tomorrow morning then. Sokka and I will use today to get ready.”

Katara sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

Malina made a note.

  
  


After breakfast, the adults left to notify the dozens and dozens of people who would be involved in the wedding and find people who could start on invitations right away. In an hour, Katara and Suki were meeting with Malina to put together an official guestlist. Before she left, Katara pulled Malina aside and told her she already invited Zuko, his friends, and colleagues to the wedding.

“You already told him? When?” Malina looked slightly panicked.

“I sent a letter last night, I told him to expect an invite soon.” Katara said.

“Huh? What did you say exactly?”

“I said something along the lines of ‘you and everyone over there in the Fire Nation are invited, within reason’. That's okay right?” said Katara. 

“Well, in the future, just know that we try to be a little more official with these sorts of things. Especially with the Fire Nation. You know as well as I do that there’s still plenty folks around here that don’t trust them.” She dragged a hand through her hair.

“I know, but it’s just Zuko.” Katara mumbled.

Malina spears her with a look, “ _ Firelord  _ Zuko.”

After she left, they cleaned the table, having long since asked the palace servants to allow them to clean their own messes.

“You sent a letter to Zuko last night?” Aang asked, passing the dishes to Katara, who for obvious reasons was the best at washing them.

“Yeah, remember? I told you I planned to.” Katara blasted water at a particularly stubborn bit of food. It washed away, but her growing frustrations remained. She was thrilled about marrying Aang, but the thought of the planning that would plague her night and day from the next few months already had her exhausted.

“Yeah, I remember now. I guess I didn’t really think about it with all the excitement.” He passed her another plate, rather roughly, without meeting her eyes. Behind him, Katara saw Sokka and Suki exchange a quick and unreadable look. What was wrong with her sending a letter to Zuko? They’ve all done it, he was their friend too.

Suki slid over to Katara, and threw an arm over her shoulder, “She obviously couldn’t wait to tell him the fantastic news! Didn’t you hear her Aang? She’s already invited the entire Fire Nation.”

Sokka laughed, “Heh yeah! By the end of the day the whole world will be invited.” He froze and looked wide eyed into the distance. “Wow, we’re going to need more chairs.”

Aang laughed, his sudden mood gone just as quick, “Right.”

Katara pulled Suki into a hug, “Thanks for staying here with me. You’ll make these first few weeks so much easier.”

Suki squeezed her back, “Anything for you, Katara.”

  
  


It took hours to put the guest list together; they didn’t finish until after lunchtime. They had scoured every address book, every letter, every document Katara could scrounge up, and every memory in their minds until they were almost confident no one had been overlooked. The list was several hundred names long.

“Are you sure we need this many people at the wedding?” asked Katara for the fifth, no, sixth time.

“Yes, I’m sure Katara.” Malina replied patiently, “You’re marrying the Avatar, that's enough argument for the entire world to be at your wedding.”

“I don’t really find that joke funny anymore.” Katara was slouching in the chair in front of Malina’s desk, which was a mess of papers, books, and scrolls. But she knew that Malina knew where every last sheet was. Katara didn’t even know why she was pushing it, after hours of listing these names all she wanted to do was get out. Although Malina's office was quite homey: she had a nice fire going, well stuffed chairs, and always made sure their teacups were full in a way that reminded Katara of someone else. She supposed she should be grateful she liked it, since she would likely be spending many hours in here.

“It is not a joke. He is the Avatar. And when we send out the announcement in a couple days, everyone will be clawing for an invite.” Malina stood with the list and blew on it to dry the ink. “Which is why I’m sending this out to Aang and your father right away for approval, so we can check if we missed anybody and then start on the invitations themselves.” Malina walked through the office door and started talking to someone. Probably an attendant who’ll have to run down Aang and Hakoda, wherever they were.

Suki sipped her tea and bumped her shoe against hers. “You still good?”

Katara bumped her back, “Yeah, still good.” At least she wasn’t alone. For now.

Malina flew back in and clapped her hands together once. “Okay, now let's get out of here.”

Suki and Katara stood immediately, “Where to?” asked Suki.

“Somewhere with fresh air and more fun.” said Malina as she grabbed a folder from her desk, then walked straight out the door.

Katara looked to Suki, “Sounds perfect.” They ran after her.

Malina’s office was in the Palace, in the more administrative part; her father’s own office was just a few turns away. Instead of her father’s office, Malina took them down stairs that lead to the main part of the building. Katara had no idea why the Council had gone with the name ‘Royal Palace’, when they had elected government officials and the chambers in which they did their governmental proceedings were open to the public. She had wanted to call it something more literal like the Capitol Building or the Southern Water Tribe Government Building if she was feeling grand. But it hadn’t been her choice, and she understood all too well how her tribe wanted to stand as equals with their sister in the North, and the other nations with their own palaces and temples. So she never said anything about it.

Finally, they made it to the main staircase in the entry hall of the Palace. There were two sets of stairs that curved around the walls of the Hall, until they came to a stop near the front of the room where the main doors led to the outside. On the opposite wall were the opened doors of the Council Chambers. Inside there were tens of rows of benches facing the main table where the council sat when they were in session. For celebrations like the solstice, or like they most likely would be for her wedding, they’d take the benches out and replace them with tables and chairs.

The entry hall and the Council Chambers was where the world’s best water benders, wood and stone workers, and architects spared no expense in making something their tribe could be proud of. Every inch of the floors, the tall walls, and high ceilings were ice and adorned with meticulous patterns and sculptures, much of which Katara helped with herself. The windows had been imbued with colors, so when the sun shined the room glowed like a kaleidoscope. There were also rare animal skins, beautiful woven tapestries, intricate headdresses, and ancient weapons lined the walls all throughout the building. 

Malina led them outside into Palace Square, which was lined with shops and houses; it was very reminiscent of Northern architecture, but Southerners made sure to add their own touches. Across the square was Palace Street, which went all the way down to the city’s main gates. The street was lined with more shops and houses, and branched off to smaller roads that led to more homes. From where Katara was standing she could see the orphanage that she had helped found for children displaced by the war; it also provided aid to families in need. Across the street was the school, where they taught history, reading, writing, math, survival skills, and water bending. Within the last five years, the new generation of water benders had begun to appear. Katara was the eldest, but slowly they were coming back. Families from villages all over the tribe brought their water benders to Captial City to be trained by Pakku and, occasionally, Katara.

Right now she knew most of the children would be in school, so she made a mental note to visit the orphanage later. Maybe she could squeeze in a few lessons here and there as well.

People went in and out of shops, strolled the food stands throughout the square, sat outside their homes, and talked to each other. In the middle of the square, children who were too young for school were playing a game of iceshoot; a few parents and grandparents stood around and watched them play. The sun shined blindingly on the ice today, and a strong wind came up from the water, bringing the smell of salt with it. 

They walked down the front steps of the Palace and an immediate change overtook the crowd. Shoppers looked away from their goods, friendly conversations stalled, and groups wandering the square came to a halt. The only thing that made no change was the children as they played their game, Katara being far below their notice. All at once people crowded around Katara, Suki, and Malina as they tried to make their way through. Usually people would give her a smile and a wave when she walked the streets, sometimes would stop to have a conversation. Very rarely did she get attention like this. Though she may be who she was and they were very proud of her, her tribe saw her as family, which meant they loved her, but saw no need to treat her differently from anyone else. Now they gathered around her, pushing each other and shouting, to congratulate her. Katara had thought that last night’s commotion would’ve been the end of it. Clearly, she was mistaken.

Soren, a warrior who had fought with her father and had known her since she was a child, made his way to the front of the crowd.

“Katara!” He said excitedly as he swept her into a hug and lifted her from the ground, “I am so so happy for you and I can’t wait to see you marry the love of your life. It’s what you deserve after everything you have done for our tribe and the world.” Soren had always been very enthusiastic and loving towards everyone in his life, so this, at least, wasn't much of a surprise.

Katara patted his back, “Thank you, Soren.”

He gently set her down, “Will you please tell Avatar Aang the same for me? You both, and your brother and father, are the light of the tribe. Take care of each other, okay?”

“Okay, Soren, we will.” she promised.

Soren smiled, but was pushed aside by another well-wisher behind him. Over and over her tribespeople hugged her, shook her hands, congratulated her and Aang. In front of her Suki and Malina were slowly making headway through the crowd, telling people that they were late and had an appointment, and that they would get another chance to speak with me later. But it still took a good ten minutes to make it to the other side of the square and down the street toward wherever they were going. Malina pulled her and Suki into a storefront before Katara could even get a look at which one it was.

“And that was just a taste of what we will be working with for the next few months.” said Malina as she shut the door behind them.

She was unsettled; she couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal out of the whole thing. Yes, Aang was the Avatar, but he had been living here with her for years now. Their relationship wasn’t anything new. She supposed they were just excited, and that it would calm down soon enough. Until the wedding at least.

Katara didn’t feel like talking about it much, so she looked around instead. Immediately, she recognized where she was. This was Kasa’s Clothing and Fur, Kasa’s for short, which was where most of the tribe bought any of the clothes they didn’t make themselves. Katara bought most of her clothes here, and this was where she had been fitted for dozens of formal and ceremonial outfits for her duties as Ambassador and Aang’s companion. Because of this, she knew the owner, Kasa, quite well.

“Ah! You’re here. Here I thought you stood me up and I had lost an hour worth of customers during the afternoon rush.” Kasa said as she emerged from the back room. She had come to Capital City after the war, as did many people, so she could sell her clothing to a larger community than she had come from. Her home village had no more than ten families. She was young, only about ten years older than Katara, had her hair cut short at her jawline, and had large curves that were always perfectly complemented by the clothes she made herself. She lived alone, but had no shortage of friends throughout the city because her store had the best quality clothes out of all the city, while being easily affordable by most. For the many hours Katara had spent here, she had just as often heard Kasa say: “Everyone deserves to live their days in style.” She knew that Kasa wouldn’t rest until everyone in the city had clothes that they loved to wear.

“Sorry, Kasa. Katara here is the talk of the town. We couldn’t take a step without tripping over people wanting to congratulate her, plus you wouldn’t believe the guestlist we just put together.” apologized Malina.

“Oh I completely understand, unfortunately I’m another admirer for you to trip on.” Kasa smiled at Katara, then Suki. “I’m so happy to see you both. Happy day, Katara.” Katara gave Kasa a hug, and Suki joined in.

“Thank you, Kasa.” Katara stepped back and looked at Kasa, then Malina, “So why are we here?”

Kasa laughed, “You don’t know? Malina didn’t you tell her?”

Malina shrugged, “I thought it should be a surprise.”

“Oh.” Katara realized, “My dress.”

“Yes.” Kasa confirmed, “Your dress.”

  
  


Katara sighed heavily and leaned against the door to their apartment. Suki walked further into the living room and called out for the boys. They were both exhausted. The dress fitting had almost taken as long as the guestlist; Malina had taken out a folder, which she had filled to the breaking point with drawings of wedding dresses. Apparently she had been gathering and sketching out dress ideas ever since she got word that Aang would propose. The pictures were gorgeous and every single one was perfect for a bride from the Water Tribe. Although a few had nods to the style of the Air Nomads.

They had stared at fabrics, skirt lengths, necklines, headpieces, and veils until they blurred together into one big mess of a dress in her mind. In the end, Malina made suggestions of what she thought would be best, and other than vetoing a train that would’ve trailed out a few body lengths behind her, Katara went with whatever Malina thought would be best. Kasa had written down notes and a few of her own sketches and told them to come back in a week or so for her designs for the dress. She had even taken Suki’s measurements and wrote down a few ideas for her own dress for the wedding.

Afterwards they had gone back to Malina’s office. There they finalized the guestlist, which was now confirmed by both Aang and her father, and spent another hour choosing the paper, font, and wording for the invitations. Once they did that, they visited a group of older men and women that Gran Gran had rounded up earlier that day. They would be incharge of creating each invitation and spending them out by the end of the week. Malina was paying them for their efforts and would be keeping them on retainer for anything they would likely need done before the wedding came.

Bottom line: Katara was completely drained and so was Suki, though she would never admit it, and it was only day one.

“The boys aren’t here.” said Suki, she stood in front of Katara.

“Oh,”said Katara, “I wonder where they are.”

“There were packed bags on their beds, so they must be gathering the other supplies they need for their trip.” Suki scowled, “Or at least they better be.”

Katara chuckled, “Yeah.” She went past Suki and sat on a chair in the living room. From the back of the chair she pulled a platypus bear skin and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Suki came over and sat in the chair next to her, “How are you?”

Katara blinked, “I’m good. Tired, but good. Why do you ask?”

Suki stared into her eyes, like she was reading her, “I just wanted to check in with you. Make sure you’re okay. This would be a lot for anyone to deal with, even if it was something that they wanted.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.” Katara paused, thinking about how she felt after she woke up this morning “I just-”

“What?” asked Suki when she stopped talking.

“Nothing,” Katara changed her mind, “this is all just way more than I thought it was going to be.”

“Absolutely,” Suki said. “But you know it’s not too late to change your mind. They haven’t even sent out the invitations yet.”

Katara sat up straight, “Why would I change my mind? I am going to marry Aang.”

Suki held up her hands, “I know, I know. I just think it’s important for someone to tell you, just in case, that you can always change your mind, up until the moment you say ‘I do’.”

Katara shifted in her seat, she was a little confused, “Okay thanks, Suki, but I don’t need anyone to talk me out of this. I know what I want.”

Suki nodded vigorously, “And I believe you. I’m only saying that weddings and marriage can be overwhelming and a lot can change during an engagement, even a short one. I only- I want to-” Suki paused, she huffed air out of her nose as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. “I am on your side, okay? If Malina makes one appointment too many and you feel like you're going to die? Tell me and I’ll take you for some ice cream instead. If two months from now you realize you’ve made a huge mistake and you actually think Aang is the most repulsive person you’ve ever known? Let know as soon as possible and I’ll take you away to some remote village in the Earth Kingdom, where we’ll change our names and no one will ever find us.”

“Can we have a farm? I’ve always wanted some cows.” Katara asked, now understanding what Suki was trying to tell her.

“Absolutely. And pigs too— well no actually I guess we’ve already got two of those, most notably your brother.” said Suki. They laughed, then Suki looked at her sternly, signaling she was serious again. “It’s you and me okay? I am on your side in this. No matter what. Whether I am here or in Kyoshi, if you need me I will be there, I promise.”

At those words, some tension eased out of Katara’s body. In this huge whirlwind of people excited for the wedding, it was deeply comforting to know that Suki would be here for her through all of it. She had not realized that this was exactly what she had needed to hear.

Katara gave Suki a hug, today was just a day for hugging she supposed. “You’re an amazing friend, you know that?”

Suki leaned into the hug, “I know.”

Katara broke away and held her shoulders at arms length. “And you’ll do the same for me right? You’ll tell me when you need me? I’m in your corner too.”

“Of course.” Suki smiled.

Just then Sokka and Aang barged in from Appa’s room. They dropped a few bags on the dining room table, then made their way over to where they were sitting.

“Awww.” Sokka practically sang. “Are we interrupting a touching moment?” He jerked to an abrupt stop. Aang ran into his back. “Seriously, are we? We can leave.”

“No, you’re fine.” Katara reassured him.

“Good.” Sokka walked over to Suki’s chair and squeezed his butt into the too-small space between Suki and the arm of the chair. Suki obligingly made as much room as she could, then Sokka threw his legs over her lap, to get comfortable. He kissed her cheek and she rested her head on his chest.

Aang dropped a kiss on Katara’s forehead, sat down on a cushion near her feet, and leaned against her legs. “How was the first day of planning?”

“It was fine.” Katara shrugged. “A bit much, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Aang leaned his head back on her knees so he could look up at her, “Of course it's not. It would take way more than planning a measly wedding to overpower you.” His smile was so bright, Katara felt it burn her heart.

“I would do anything for you, even if it meant studying color swatches for three months straight.” Katara ran her fingers over his head. 

Aang grabbed onto her fingers, “Thank you for doing this Katara. I wish you could come with us instead. It’s not fair that you have to stay here.”

“Well maybe I don’t have to.” said Katara. “I could always sneak away for a few days and come visit you. Sokka would be there so it wouldn’t be against the rules.”

Aang furrowed his brows, “Of course I would love that, but I don’t think we should.”

“Why not? It’s okay for us to see each other a little bit.” said Katara, trying not to seem disappointed.

Aang turned around so that he was facing her and put his chin on her knees, “There’s actually a few things I need to talk to you about. Later, alright?.”

“We can talk about it now.” said Katara.

“I know.” He looked at Sokka and Suki, who were pretending not to listen. “But we all need to rest for a bit, this can wait.”

Though Katara was a little bothered that he wouldn’t elaborate, she let it drop for now. He of all people knew the importance of preserving and practicing traditions. “I understand, future husband.” Katara said playfully, in an attempt to hide how nervous he’d just made her. “How was your planning?”

“Well, future wife, I’m not gonna lie, Sokka did most of it.” replied Aang.

“That I did, that I did.” said Sokka looking up from where he and Suki had been conversing in their own private world. Katara was unsurprised to hear that Sokka had done most of the preparation. That had been his job on trips for years now.

“I’d like to see it.” said Katara.

“In a minute.” replied Sokka as he nuzzled Suki’s hair.

“Now, please. Before it gets too late.” Katara demanded.

Sokka groaned, “Over here.” He rose from the chair and ushered Katara to the dining room table, where he and Aang had deposited their gear. He started opening the bags so Katara could survey the contents. 

She rummaged through them. There was food, cooking supplies, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, medicine, and bandages. Already she could see that Sokka had put a lot of thought and care into this. 

After a few minutes, in a low voice so only Katara would hear, Sokka said: “I think he’ll loosen up on that.” Aang and Suki were talking to each other back in the living room.

“Loosen up on what?” asked Katara.

“The whole not visiting thing. Once he goes a week, actually no, once he goes a day without you he’ll be begging me to go home.” said Sokka.

Katara shuffled through a bag of food and didn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t know about that, you know how much of a stickler he is for these sort of things. You and Toph were the ones who convinced him that you were supposed to smash your glass on the ground and shout ‘flamey-o’ at Fire Nation weddings after the groom made a toast. He was more worried about not respecting tradition, than questioning information from unreliable sources.”

Sokka started laughing, like he always did whenever someone brought it up, even if it was himself. “I’ve never heard a room go so quiet so fast in my life.”

“Stop it.” Katara said, trying not to smile.

“Everyone looked at us. I thought the father of the bride was going to assault him.” Sokka reminisced.

“You’re a plague. That was not funny. That was General Bingwen’s wedding, who is a perfectly kind man who did not deserve the Avatar disrupting him in such a way. If you pull that at my wedding I  _ will _ disown you.” Katara said through her giggles.

“Oh, please. If you don’t break at least a dozen glasses at your wedding, then you failed. I was just getting the party started a little early.” said Sokka.

“I’m being serious.” She said with crossed arms and twitching lips.

“So am I. I’ll never forget Aang's face as he realized he was the only person who did it: shock and devastation. And you know what, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zuko laugh so hard, he had to leave the room afterwards.” said Sokka.

“Not at my wedding.” she restated firmly, returning to looking through the supplies.

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” he said.

“Sokka— ”Katara warned.

“Anyways, Aang may be a stickler, but he would break the rules for you.” he said like it was obvious.

“I don’t know about that.” she said doubtfully.

“I do.” he said. “And about Zuko: did you ask him in your letter if you could visit him?” asked Sokka.

“Um, yes.” she said, surprised by the sudden subject change and that he guessed what she had written.

“Well, I think you should definitely go, no matter how much work for the wedding there is to do.” he said.

Katara looked at him, “Why do you say that?”

“Because I know you Katara. I know that you’ll go crazy being stuck studying color swatches for three months straight, and you deserve time for yourself. I know that brides traditionally plan the wedding, but that's not you Katara. We both know that.” Sokka rested a hand on her shoulder. “So go to the Fire Nation, or go to Kyoshi with Suki, or visit Toph, or work at the orphanage, or train with the students at the school. Whatever it is, you should make time for it, at least as a break from all the insanity.”

“I don’t know Sokka, I am the Ambassador, there is no one who knows more about what our guests needs and expectations better than I do. It’s a multicultural event and everyone needs to chip in. It is my wedding, I can’t just throw it on someone else, while I go travel the world.” reasoned Katara.

“Why not? That’s what Aang is doing.” replied Sokka.

Katara gasped, “No it’s not. Energybending is incredibly important for him to master.”

“Look, I know. It doesn’t have to be for the full three months, but after all these years you deserve a break.”said Sokka.

“There is no time for that.” replied Katara.

“There is. I just think about it, okay? For your big brother?” Sokka stuck out his lip and placed his hands on his chest.

“I’ll think about it.” Katara said magnanimously.

Katara was pulled into yet another hug, “I am so proud of you. You have been the foundation for our family for years and what we’ve become is thanks to you.”

Katara returned the millionth hug of the day, “I’m proud of you too.” Sokka had done so much for their tribe and the world. He was constantly innovating and inventing. So much of the structure and foundations of this city were thanks to him, and he also made his designs readily available to the rest of the Nations, so everyone would be able to benefit. He was so caring, strong, and intelligent, and went to such lengths to make the world better, she knew that he would make a fantastic Chief one day, if that's what he chose to do.

“So,” Sokka pulled away and gestured at the supplies. “How’d I do?”

Katara closed the bags and lined them up nicely on the table, “it’s perfect. You’ve passed the inspection.” 

Sokka smiled and puffed out his chest. Katara privately thought that this would be the last time she’d check Sokka’s packing, as she should’ve a while ago. Clearly, he was then capable without her. The thought made her sad.

Sokka and Katara went back to Aang and Suki to enjoy their last night together. It was soon evident that they were all worn out from the day, but none of them were willing to suggest sleep. Maybe it was because they knew that this could very well be the last time they’re all together before the wedding— maybe they wanted an evening of relaxation before the work began in earnest tomorrow. Or perhaps they all had the same unspoken feeling. The feeling that this night was the only thing that stood between them and certain change on the horizon. They all felt it. Even though they logically knew that after the wedding, things wouldn’t be all that different, they felt as if this would never happen in the same way again. That one way or another, this night was a last night. None of them knew how or why; all they knew was that they did not want it to end.

So together they made dinner, and made sure to include everyone's favorite dishes. Suki made some fruity drinks that were a speciality in the Earth Kingdom that they loved so much. Together they sat at their table and raised their glasses to six years of friendship and of family, and wished Zuko and Toph were here to celebrate with them. 

For hours they reminisce about their younger selves, adventures, and mistakes. Did Aang remember when he and Zuko got in trouble by the Earth King for passing notes during a World Leaders meeting? How Zuko had to read the note to all two hundred attendees to prove that they weren’t conspiring, but actually talking about where they should get dinner afterwards and whether it was Lord Jian or Master Piandao who passed gas ten minutes before? Also none of them could forget when Toph sang a ballad about herself in front of a tavern, unprompted, and had the whole place stomping their feet and singing along by the end. Or when Sokka had to bail Katara and Suki out of jail after they rescued two dozen cat deer from a corrupt racing company. They only got caught, noted Suki, because they may have been slightly intoxicated at the time.

They talk and play games well into the night, but as they had stayed up late last night as well, they started yawning around midnight. And an hour later, they could barely keep their eyes open.

“Okay, I will be the one to say it.” Sokka stood and announced, after they cleaned up meal. “I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”

“Okay, yeah. You’re right.” Aang holds out his hand to Katara, which she takes gratefully. “We better go to sleep too.”

“Do you actually want me to enforce keeping you guys separated.?” asked Sokka and he gestured at their joined hands.

Aang said, “We aren’t going to sleep in the same room tonight.”

At the same time Katara said, “Come on, Sokka. Sleeping in the same bed just for tonight isn’t going to hurt anything.” 

She turned to Aang, “Wait, what?”

“I want to be respectful, Katara.” said Aang.

“But I am okay with it for tonight. This is my tribe’s tradition, and I don’t see any problem with it.” Katara said, she remembered suddenly what he said before dinner about not visiting each other.

Sokka raised his hands, “You know what? Ultimately it is your guys choice. Suki and I will go to bed now so you two can workout how you want to do this, alright?” Suki and Sokka said their goodnights, then left them alone in the living room.

“Listen,” Katara pulled Aang over to an ottoman, and had him sit with her. “I know that you want to respect my tribe’s traditions and that as the Avatar that is especially important.” Aang opened his mouth, but Katara raised a hand to signal that she wasn’t done. “But so many people in my tribe don’t do that anymore. Some people go on expeditions together, or only spend half the engagement apart, or the couple both stay home. They do whatever works for them. For me, being completely separated from you until the wedding is not going to work for me.”

Aang nodded as he took this in, “I understand. It’s just very important to me that we do everything we can to do this right. Also I like the idea of individual reflection; it’s very spiritual. I believe that this will be good for us, and make our relationship stronger than ever.”

Katara sighed, “It’s not that I disagree with you, I just think that taking small moments like sleeping in the same bed for the night, or having short visits wouldn’t ruin that. We need to be able to check in with each other and have some time together so we don’t go crazy. No one would have to know anyways, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Aang shook his head, “We will know Katara, and we can always write to each other.” Aang tilted his head and considered something, “Well actually, I will be writing to you since you won’t know where I am.”

“That’s not enough for me.” she said, turning away from him.

“I never said it would be easy Katara.” he grabbed her hand and tried to get her to look at him. “I’m pushing so hard for this because I know it will help our relationship and make it better. I will miss you more than I can even imagine right now, but it's for the best.”

“Why are you talking like it had already been decided? I haven’t agreed to this.” Katara looked at the wall straight ahead.

“You did agree to this. At breakfast.” reminded Aang.

Katara had forgotten, she stood and took a few steps away trying to control her rising ire. “Well I hadn’t realized that you would be more strict about the whole thing than the Elders themselves.” She turned to glare at him, “Gran Gran said we could still see each other as long as we had family present.  _ You _ were the one who asked her about it. I don’t understand, this morning you seemed so reluctant and now you don’t want to see me at all?” 

Aang stayed seated and said in an infuriatingly calm voice: “Katara this is what I want to do. The whole wedding will be up to you; it’ll have Water Tribe foods, it’ll happen in your home-”

“Our home.” she added.

“And it’ll be completely a Water Tribe wedding.” he continued. “Please let me have this one thing that reminds me of my own practices from home.”

“I don’t understand why you want us to be completely separated.”

“Because,” Aang explained. “The monks used to have this ritual where, at certain points in their lives, either when they had to make an important decision or before they became an elder, they would go on spirit journeys when they wouldn’t see another human for months until they reached self-actualization or an answer or inner peace. The more I thought about it today the more I felt that I needed it. That we needed it.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” asked Katara.

“Saying what?” 

“That we need to make our relationship stronger. I know that no relationship is perfect, but…” Katara hesitated, then kept going. “Are we having problems? Do you think we shouldn’t have gotten engaged? What’s going on?”

“ _ No _ .” Aang said quickly, he stood and came to her. “No, I am not having any doubts whatsoever. I just believe that the stronger we are apart, the better we will be together. That's what the monks always taught us.” Now he hesitated. “Are you having doubts?”

Katara pushed this morning out of her mind, “No, not at all,” then she continued. “If this is what you want and you really think that this would be the best for us, then we should do it.”

“Really?” Aang said, a smile breaking out on his face.

“Really.” she confirmed, even though she knew it would make her a bit miserable.

“Thank you, sweetie. I won’t forget this. Everything at the wedding will be so huge and amazing, I feel like I just need this time to focus on something else to prepare myself.” he said. “I’m sorry that you have to be the one to deal with it.”

She folded her arms, “Well, I don’t  _ have  _ to be the one.” she said, her frustration still boiling below the surface. “It wouldn’t be like this if I were marrying someone else.”

Katara regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. Aang’s eyes went wide and his smile fell off his face so fast she may as well slapped it off. 

“Wait, I didn’t mean that.” She grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away. “Aang I’m sorry. I was upset and I said the wrong thing.”

Aang looked at his feet and didn’t say anything.

She placed her hand on his cheek and made him look at her. She could never stand it when he was upset with her. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for and completely the wrong thing to say.”

His eyebrows were furrowed, “Are you sure you didn’t mean it.”

She nodded and placed her forehead on his, “Of course I didn’t. Who else would I marry other than you?”

Aang squeezed his eyes closed, “Right.”

“I was thinking,” she said. “That maybe you could ask some of the acolytes if they wanted to be involved with the ceremony, or help with the planning. I want to try to incorporate Air Nomad culture into the wedding wherever I can. How does that sound?” She just wanted him to look at her, to smile again.

“That sounds perfect, Katara. You are the best.” he said, with a smile, but a smaller one than before. Then he kissed her, and she kissed him back. She tried to put all the stuff she wouldn’t say into the kiss. She was sorry, she would miss him so much, she wished he wouldn’t go, she wanted to come with him, she was angry, she was hurt, and she didn’t know what she would do without him. Aang grabbed her shoulders and gently broke the kiss.

“Goodnight, my future wife.” he said, kindly yet firmly.

“Goodnight, my future husband.” she said to his back as he walked down the hall to his room. Her arm was outstretched to where his hand had left her’s. Then he was gone and she was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this took longer than a week to get out, but that's because what I had planned was waaaaay longer than a single chapter. I ended up writing two, so hopefully I can get chapter three up fairly soon. This chapter was difficult but fun to write. It was difficult to imagine how Katara's family and friends would react to her engagement to Aang (since I do not spend much of my time thinking about that lol). But it was really fun to think about what their lives look like five years later, especially what the Southern Water Tribe looks like since I really didn't have much to go on other than the comics. All of my info comes from Avatar wiki, but a lot of it I just came up with myself...  
> Don't worry, Zuko is coming soon, and it will be glorious. Obviously. Hang in there! And thank you for reading :)  
> *Zutara is canon*

**Author's Note:**

> Ooooooh... let me know what you think! My goal is to update weekly, but I will feel more motivated to do so if you leave kudos or a comment.  
> Thank you for reading :)))  
> *Zutara is canon*


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